INEOS - ANNUAL COMPANY MEETING
Arianna
Vorrei ringraziarti a nome di tutto il gruppo Ineos per la tua professionalità , gentilezza e cordialità nel consigliarci e supportarci in questa straordinaria esperienza !
Rimarrà ben presente nei nostri ricordi . Tutto il gruppo è stato veramente entusiasta sia per la sistemazione presso l'Hotel San Pietro , la gita sull'Etna , e la degustazione con cena
Grazie ancora Arianna e spero di ricontattarti presto per un'altra meravigliosa gita nella tua splendida Sicilia
ciao
Fabio
Fabio De Marinis | Sales Manager Italy |
For and behalf of Ineos Europe AG Division Oxide
Fabio De Marinis | Sales Manager Italy
For and behalf of Ineos Europe AG Division Oxide
October / 2018
Today we enjoyed a private walking tour with Damiano.
He was very professional yet friendly.
His extensive knowledge of the area and history was impressive.
I highly recommend this tour for future visitors
Thanks
Robert Spring
November /2017
Forum MSF Italia
Care Arianna e Claudia,
grazie per tutto il supporto che mi avete dato, per mesi… Grazie per esservi fatte portavoce delle esigenze dell’organizzazione come se ne foste parte….e forse ormai lo siete a tutti gli effetti!
Non ho avuto la sensazione di trattare con un fornitore ma con colleghe e amiche, per tutto il tempo!
Davvero grazie, perché pur non essendo in loco, ho sempre avuto un senso di fiducia nelle scelte, grazie alla vostra disponibilità, consulenza e onestà.
Avete messo la vostra professionalità a servizio di Medici Senza Frontiere e il risultato è stato eccellente!!
Un saluto particolare a Francesco che ci ha assistito, per tutto il percorso, da lontano.
Un abbraccio
Lisa
July / 2017
12 luglio 12:41:37
Thank you for your wonderful service Claudia. We are sorry to leave but will return to the area around Avola for some wine immersion!! Loraine and I have been very happy with all your choices. Will be in contact soon
Martin Buck
May / 2016
Hello Claudia,
How nice to hear from you! We had a wonderful, beautiful time in Sicily and it ended too soon. Now we are all back at work in our beautiful Bay Area.
Other comments:
Silvia: Delightful, Informative and highly recommended.
Food: All of our food at restaurants on our tours was delicious. But the portions were too big. Anti pasti and pasta dishes could be shared between 2 people. So overall, smaller portions.
Baglio Soria: Lovely, simple and elegant. Excellent staff. And wonderful food.
The Program Book: everyone loved the program book you presented to us in Palermo. Great idea!
………
Best to you, Jada, Lucina,and Arianna,
Kate Littleboy (Mrs Parrinello)
March / 2016
Hi Arianna,
Thanks so much for the photos! I have shared them with the clients they said you may use them for your website. In fact they have sent me two more that are very nice which you may wish to use.
They had a wonderful visit! Here are the highlights:
Activities:
• They loved the Godfather tour! Yes, it was a lot of driving, but they saw probably 1/3 of Sicily in the process, and thought it was beautiful. They really liked the guide and driver and thought they did a nice job.
• Cooking class was fantastic – once their hostess, Silvia, allowed them to work in the kitchen hands on (even the kids) then they all had a good time. Food was delicious.
• They were thrilled to have the meeting with the Lord Mayor in Siculiana – that was really special for the family and particularly for Francis. They say that Mariella Santa Lucia might also have some nice photos to share.
• The cars worked out very well – they were good quality, and new. It was very easy for them to get around and they felt they were close enough to Siculiana. It took 2 hours to fill out the paper work however on Saturday morning, which seemed like a long time to them.
About Roba degli Ulivi
• They liked the location very much – there were mostly positives and some negatives
• The views and the setting were perfect – having so much outdoor space for the kids to run was great
• They liked the rooms and they liked having so much space to be together as a family (Kitchen, great room etc)
……….
• Overall they were very happy, though
So, thank you once again! I will send the additional photos in a moment
Warm regards,
Carrie
Carrie Wallace
President
MoonRings
An affiliate of Andavo Travel
October / 2015
Hello Arianna!
I hope this note finds you well.
......
On the whole the trip was excellent and your hard work in coordinating all the details paid off. Corinna did a wonderful job in articulating information and in tending to everyone's needs and requests. Her kind friendly attitude made us all feel comfortable, secure and safe. Also, our driver did a excellent job in getting us around safely in some of the most difficult of traffic.
As I start reliving the trip with my thousands of photos I will have only exciting cherished memories of all the history of Sicily and the wonderful food and wines we experienced.
The only comment I will repeat from Ellen's comments ( below) is about the Grand Hotel in Palermo. It is a beautiful old hotel with a great deal of charm. However, the rooms and hallways desperately need renovations. The carpeting is absolutely filthy and some of the furniture was extremely worn. The front desk personal were not the most friendly and helpful. The hotel did have a wonderful breakfast buffet.
I am sure you will be hearing from other members of the group at some point.
Thanks again and I will definitely be recommending you and your company to friends and colleagues who want to tour Sicily.
Take care! Stephen
June / 2015
Dear Arianna,
Greetings from Far Horizons! It was a pleasure meeting you in Palermo, thank you for taking the time to come to the hotel and for all your assistance and hard work throughout the tour. From our perspective, the trip was a phenomenal success! Everything happened seamlessly with only a couple minor hiccups, both of which were out of our/your control (i.e. the road closure between Piazza Armerina, Morgantina and Ragusa).
Corinna, our guide, was a star. So very professional, knowledgeable, efficient and personable. I know that the trip was well planned by everyone at Private Sicily and Far Horizons in advance, and Corinna executed every detail expertly. Our driver for the majority of the trip, Gigi, was also great as he was always coordinating with Corinna to make sure we were on schedule and happy.
The selection of the restaurants and meals by Private Sicily was exceptional. Often there was too much food for our group members, but at the same time the meals were delicious and a highlight of the trip.
The hotels, overall, were wonderful. The only minor complaints had to do with dim lighting in some locations (Hotel Romano in Catania and Hotel de Stefano in Ragusa) and the lack of shower doors or curtains to prevent the water from overflowing onto the bathroom floor. Because our clients are older, the need for these precautionary measures (also bathmats) becomes important for safety reasons. BUT, the hotels were very nice across the board, making returning after a long day of touring pleasant.
The only real negative I will relay to you is that the bus for the trip seemed to be in need of new shocks. The bus was always clean and comfortable, but on some of the roads it seemed abnormally bumpy. This is not a reflection on the driver, but rather just a comment for improvement with regards to the vehicle itself.
I have been a tour manager on over 15 trips around the world and I have to say that this was one of the best run and most enjoyable trips I have been on. Everything was great! A huge thanks to Private Sicily for an unforgettable trip!
Best regards,
Heather
Heather Stoeckley
General Manager
Far Horizons Archaeological and Cultural Trips, Inc.
March / 2014
Private Sicily helped me organize a weekend of birthday celebrations in Palermo and surroundings. The event was a great success, and I was complemented for the seamless organization. I had to tell the truth to my guests. that is that it was due to the excellent work of Private Sicily. The staff, Barbara and Lillo in particular, are very professional, extremely dedicated, incredibly pro-active, and extremely knowledgeable! They know Sicily and everything it has offer visitors first-hand. It was a pleasure working with them.
Cristiana V. K. - Washington
March /2014
Dear Barbara
I wanted to thank you for the excellent arrangements and advice that you provided for our stay in Sicily. We enjoyed every minute of it and wished we could have spent more time visiting as there is so much to see. We are determined to come back for another holiday!
Kind regards, K. and T.
March /2014
Dear Barbara,
I have just arrived home and would like to thank you for your kind help in arranging my visit to Roma and Firenze.
Hotels, tours, and drivers were all fine, and I enjoyed my trip to Italy very much. The hotel in Firenze was great as it is just in front of St. Marina Novella, which I liked very much.
It was kind of short; hopefully I can go back and visit Firenze again and other cities in Italy.
Best regards,
Yoshiko
Group Total
Sept /2013
Cari:Andrea, Antonio, Arianna, Attilio, Barbara, Carine, Cesare, Cetti, Christian,
Cristina, Domenico, Domenico,Donatella, Filippo, Francesco, Gandolfo, Giuseppe,
Lidia, Lillo, Mario, Maurizio, Mauro, Nina, Nino, Nedo, Pasquale, Pietro,
Silvio, Tony, Valentina, Valentina, Vincenzo e tutti gli altri che non ho dimenticato
Ilviaggio che mi avete aiutato a preparare nel corso dei trascorsi due anni è
stato un successo.
Me lo hanno testimoniato calorosamente i 52 amici che lo hanno condiviso con me.
E, se così è stato, non è solo merito della vostra competenza e professionalismo, ma
soprattutto del vostro amore per quello che fate: accogliere gente che poco conosce il
nostro paese, ne ammira a volte soltanto le bellezze, ed il cui interesse è
temperato spesso da paure e pregiudizi.
Il vostro compito di cambiare ed arricchire questa immagine lo avete adempiuto in
pieno ed io non posso che darvene atto e comunicarvi quella che è per voi
certamente la più ambita ricompensa: tutti mi ha manifestato il desiderio di tornare.
E' stato bello lavorare con voi.
Con stima e con affetto
Lucio M.
__________________________________________________________________
Robin Berrington
Ocotober 2012
And many thanks for the excellent trip. In spite of the dreadful return
journey, I think all of us had a great time in Sicily. It is a beautiful
area and deserves a return trip. Of course, much of the credit for this
goes to you, so I thank you for all your help.
__________________________________________________________________
Food Diary Sicily
Oct. 19 – Oct .29, 2012
Jane Olmsted
Eremo della Giubiliana, Ragusa Lovely five star country hotel situated in
an ancient hermitage, lovely grounds and inside many antique prints and
books around in the public rooms, including a suit of armor.
Dinner – Chinese porcelain soup spoon with cured raw fish garnished with
orange segment, Focaccia di ragusa (many thin layers of dough and
tomatoes), “Fake” pizza of fresh sardines and anchovies with cucumber and
lemon mint, Fettuccine with shell fish and wild mustard sauce, Raviolo of
yellow squash, sauce of two ricottas and black pig of Nebrodi sausage,
Swordfish alla Palermitana, fondant potato, pistachio and caramelized onion
sauce, Cassata “out of season” with chocolate sauce and gelato of
pistachios from Bronte.
Ordinarily I don’t list breakfast but the one served at Eremo deserves a
five star mention.
assorted fruit juices, prosecco on ice with flutes at the ready, scrambled
eggs, boiled eggs, fried pancetta, prosciutto, special Ragusa cheese (a
young caciocavallo}, fresh local ricotta, local honey, sliced fresh fruits,
yogurt with many toppings, croissants, cornetti, brioche, cream filled pastries,
fruit tarts, white and whole wheat bread made there, assorted jams
and jellies made there, plus the usual coffees and teas.
Dinner at La Locanda del Colonello, Modica Alta Very simple understated
décor, white tablecloths, each table with a wide mouth canning jar filled
with local vegetation: dried carob pods, unshelled almonds and wild fennel
stalks. Since all ordered a la carte, here is a partial listing of what was
available. On the table, warm house made bread served in brown paper lunch
bags, little dishes for dipping in very green local olive oil. Street food
sampler (arancini, etc. ) served in white paper bag, pureed fava beans with
roasted octopus served in hand painted green rimmed soup bowl, spaghetti
with anchovies, fish couscous, ricotta ravioli with pork stew, veal rolls
with vegetable salad, lemon and mint, ricotta ice cream with cannolo waffle,
persimmon and Modica chocolate, pear tart with walnuts and vanilla. Late
harvest Grillo wine from Marsala.. All delicious and beautifully
presented.
Dinner in Ortigia, Siracusa Unfortunately I don’t have the name of the
restaurant. On the table antipasti: Sicilian orange salad, fresh ricotta
topped with chopped pistachios, grilled zucchini, grilled eggplant,
caponata, and rolled spinach frittata stuffed with ricotta. Followed by
three pastas to sample: rigatoni with ricotta and almonds, spaghetti with
sun dried tomatoes and pine nuts, and rigatoni with ricotta and pistachios.
Some of the desserts were almond semifreddo, budino cioccolata (chocolate
pudding), crème caramel and cannoli.
La Forestiera at Planeta Estate Very modern hotel, plots of labeled herbs
growing around infinity pool, etc. All guests are served aperitif and
canapés in the lobby before dinner. All are seated at one long table and
served the same menu. Our menu was a frothy cauliflower soup, a huge
timballo shown before cutting, which had a ricotta crust and contained
pasta, meat and vegetables in a creamy sauce, followed by couscous with
lamb ragout with vegetables, and for dessert a profiterole with yogurt
mousse and strawberry sauce. Wines were Carricante 2011 Planeta, Plumbago
2010 Planeta, and Syrah 2008 Planeta. The food there was well cooked but I
didn’t think the menu was well balanced. The breakfast buffet was sumptuous.
Casa del Brodo, Palermo Very old, very traditional restaurant with a
specialty of boiled beef. We started off with tortellini in brodo. Then
the boiled beef, also in brodo, which had a hint of saffron, and boiled
carrots, potatoes, etc. We had a taste of Palermo style
green sauce, which unlike the northern versions, contains chopped green
olives. Numerous desserts were available.
Al Brigantino, Palermo Set price menu and what a menu it was! On the
table for all to share - fried squares of besciamella, small fried triglie
(red mullet), delicious balls of mashed sardines which contained currants,
marinated squid and octopus, raw oysters, shrimp salad on lettuce, then
three pastas: eggplant cavatelli with chunks of tuna, shellfish risotto,
spaghetti with white clam sauce, Torrearsa Bianco wine and lemon granita to
finish.
Trattoria del Sale, Trapani Located in the area of all the salt ponds,
with the old windmills used to pump water in the distance. On the table,
dressed olives, crostini with caponata and Trapani pesto, a raw sauce of
tomatoes, garlic, basil, almonds, EVOO. Then pasta. Then bounteous
platters of fried shrimp, sardines, small triglie (red mullet). Then we had
a sampling of Trapani couccous and ended with oranges for dessert
Il Porticiollo, Cefalu` Seated with a lovely view of the sea, we started
with a wonderful octopus and potato salad, then rigatoni with a subtle sauce
of eggplant, swordfish, a little tomato, and mint, followed by a thin slice
of grilled swordfish and insalata mista. Lemon granita to finish.
Wines – I didn’t list them because although they were good, they were not
notable like the famed Tuscan and Piemonte wines. We like reds named
Cerasuolo and Nero di Avola.
I can’t end without mentioning the Grand Hotel Piazza de la Borsa in
Palermo. It is listed as 4* but as far as I am concerned it is 5*. We did
not dine there but the breakfast spread served on the Roof Garden was
outstanding In addition to the usual fare, they offered sliced tomatoes and
cucumbers, fruit tarts and slices of sweet breakfast cakes. With a nod to
Germans, wursts and with a nod to N. Africans, spices like turmeric and
paprika plus wonderful ricotta.
__________________________________________________________________